What are the chances of lockdown this Christmas?

[43leftfeet]

I've been away this weekend (UK, but I've been distracted and not following the news).

I see there's been talk of Johnson announcing a "ban on Christmas" possibly, around the 17th - or not, depending on what happens with Omicron - is that about right?

I know we can't know yet what's going to happen, but what are people's feelings?

What do you think the restrictions, if any, are likely to be in England & Wales & in Scotland?

Zero

It is also in January when cases are expected to soar, because of exponential growth and Christmas mixing.

There would be panic and lockdown by default anyway if children started to fall seriously ill in large numbers, who would send their children to school in that situation? I know I wouldn't. Isolation indeed brings it's own harms, but that long term thinking goes out of the window when presented when a direct and imminent threat to your children.
I'm just praying it won't be as bad here as it is in South Africa. No idea what to think of it at the moment.

@julieca

I am not even talking about what is the right thing to do or not. But if thousands of babies and toddlers were in hospital with covid, then most parents and grandparents in the country of young children would be demanding action to protect them.

Yes of course they would. The same people were demanding lockdowns to protect adults…..

MLMshouldbeillegal
Ok, I’ve you say so, time will tell, it’s not definite, but it is being planned for, the news just now, is just the start.

Hopefully not.

How long do people think it would go on for?

Whilst waiting for vaccines and / or treatment

@User378436

I don't think there would be a full lockdown for children, people think so on here because the majority of people probably have young children so it does strike home.

If they had months of lockdown for the eldest and most vulnerable in society, then then the public will almost certainly back a lockdown if it was making children seriously ill.

Or ask the vulnerable ( in this case young children) to shield.

@MumbleCrumbs

There would be panic and lockdown by default anyway if children started to fall seriously ill in large numbers, who would send their children to school in that situation? I know I wouldn't. Isolation indeed brings it's own harms, but that long term thinking goes out of the window when presented when a direct and imminent threat to your children. I'm just praying it won't be as bad here as it is in South Africa. No idea what to think of it at the moment.

I read something only this morning about South African scientists being baffled by the reaction in the UK.

You do realise the government can’t ‘ban’ the festival of Christmas?

IF, big if, there is another lockdown, what is the exit plan? This time there are no promises of vaccines to get us out, we've got them. We cannot continue to lockdown every winter and/or for every new variant. People need to see an end point for continuing to comply.

The scaremongering crowd don't understand that official bodies plan for all sorts of things all of the time. DH works in aviation and not so long ago they role played a scenario with Heathrow out of action because of massive fire, not that they are expecting a fire, it's about planning for every eventuality and testing teamwork and how quickly they can respond.

Taking that sort of planning as definite proof of a lockdown is just crazy.

all MLMshouldbeillegal
As I said planning a lockdown, I hope the government would consider all eventualities

I saw that too Hester.

I doubt they will lockdown if young children are ill, people will just be told to keep them in

There doesn't need to be a lockdown. We are all capable of making an assessment of the risk COVID places on our families.

I work across schools, a different school every day. COVID is rife with as many as 80% of a class of children testing positive, 60% of staff are ill too. I can't risk passing COVID to my elderly, vulnerable parents, so we won't be hosting Christmas this year.

@MumbleCrumbs

There would be panic and lockdown by default anyway if children started to fall seriously ill in large numbers, who would send their children to school in that situation? I know I wouldn't. Isolation indeed brings it's own harms, but that long term thinking goes out of the window when presented when a direct and imminent threat to your children. I'm just praying it won't be as bad here as it is in South Africa. No idea what to think of it at the moment.

I would. I'm a single parent and have to work out of the home to keep a roof over our heads. I'd have no choice but to send DS to school.

In the unlikely event of a variant emerging that is particularly bad for young children, I can see their parents voluntarily keeping them at home. However, most people do not have young children, and given what we already know about fatigue, I'd expect to see arguments that other, lower risk people shouldn't have to limit their movements and that the onus is on parents to keep them in.

My friend's mum who is now 88 spent 8 months in hospital as a young un with the flu pandemic of the time. Her generation seems to have no fear of the world in which they live. We are probably doomed by our overloaded risk-averse brains filled full of data and nonsense.

Stuck to it last year - this year they can fuck off.

@AnyFucker

What are the chances of anyone complying even if the govt tried to impose a lockdown this Xmas ?

Negligible, I would say

Exactly

I heard today there are more dogs in the UK can there are children under 15

*than

"I read something only this morning about South African scientists being baffled by the reaction in the UK."

Are they also baffled by the reaction in all the other countries who have closed their borders?

[quote vera99]My friend's mum who is now 88 spent 8 months in hospital as a young un with the flu pandemic of the time. Her generation seems to have no fear of the world in which they live. We are probably doomed by our overloaded risk-averse brains filled full of data and nonsense.

[/quote] My grans mum, dad and sister all died of the flu in 1918. It affected her for the rest of her life.